THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
September 21, 2023 at 18:55 JST
The Saitama prefectural police headquarters (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
SAITAMA--Police arrested a Vietnamese man on Sept. 21 on suspicion of forging fake driver’s licenses, according to investigative sources.
Saitama prefectural police seized around 70 driver’s licenses and health insurance cards bearing fake names, along with dozens of smartphones, from the 26-year-old suspect’s home in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture.
Officials believe that his apartment was used as a “factory” for mass-producing fake IDs for criminal organizations. They plan to identify the individuals who requested these forgeries.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of producing two fake driver’s licenses between April 2022 and August 2023.
A computer and printer believed to have been used for the forgeries were also found in the apartment.
After analyzing the communication history of the man’s smartphone, police suspect that the forged IDs were to be used to verify identities to purchase smartphones and SIM cards.
Criminal organizations often register smartphones and SIM cards under fake names to prevent the user from being traced, police said.
Authorities have been conducting a series of crackdowns on this type of crime.
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